Each day at the very last moment of dusk, the sky takes on a deep blue tinge which is then reflected onto everything that is below. During this very brief moment that only lasts a minute or two a blue veil envelops Hong Kong and releases a mystical atmosphere.

Photography is a way to cast fleeting moments in still images. Moments don’t last; places and people disappear in time. One particular day, I was shooting the city at sunset, bright light washed out most of the colors, you could feel the heat through the images. I decided to stay a little longer to watch the sun going down and the city lighting up. I witnessed how just for few minutes the city was enveloped in a deep blue haze. The blueness projected itself ferociously onto the buildings that looked colorless just a little while before. I was deeply impressed. The only way to eternalize this ephemeral moment was with my camera.

The surreal character of this blue-laced imagery is enhanced by the composition: structures and nature are framed as they were cut up and put together. The density of the city is mirrored by nature that’s as intense.

These are the thoughts of Hong Kong-based French photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze, who has artfully captured that instant of approaching evening in the bustling Asian metropolis in his series “The Blue Moment”. Hong Kong is a concrete jungle, for sure – crowded and suffocating – but here it manages to look magical. The project is available as a coffee table book.

Since 2013, Romain’s work has been exhibited in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and the Netherlands. His photos can be found in major publications across the world (The Guardian, National Geographic, Huffington Post, CNN, Wall Street Journal, El Pais, Le Figaro Magazine and Die Welt). His favourite artists are Vincent van Gogh and Manabu Ikeda. He has a master’s in multimedia and art from East Paris University